Sonia to nominate Maharashtra legislature party chief

Mumbai, Nov 6 (IANS) The Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Thursday authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to nominate their leader amidst calls to give the post to a youthful leader from Vidarbha.

A one-line resolution, authorising Gandhi to select the new CLP leader was moved by state party chief Manikrao Thakre and unanimously adopted by 39 newly-elected legislative assembly members (MLAs) and 22 legislative council members (MLCs). Three MLAs were absent due to various reasons.

The decision was taken in the presence of Congress Leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, the central observer who also met the legislators individually to seek their view on the new CLP chief.

“Kharge will meet Mohan Prakash, AICCI general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, and discuss the legislators’ views before taking the final decision,” Thakre told media persons.

While former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan indicated he was not in the race for the CLP leader’s post, former minister Vijay Wadettiwar, a legislator from Chimur, Chandrapur, demanded that a youthful leader from Vidarbha be considered as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also hailed from the region.

“I have requested the party leadership not to assign any responsibility to me now,” Chavan briefly said before entering the meeting.

He said he wanted to meet and spend time with the people of his constituency, Karad South, and work for them.

In the May Lok Sabha and October assembly elections, the Congress received its worst drubbing for which Chavan faced the party’s ire at various levels.